An Oddity In Space
by Risilence
Summary: Kanan sighed as she sat in another misleading interview, "Can you ask your question again?" Cover image by Tsu! Thank you so much for it!
1. Chapter 1: Carbon Footstep

**Chapter 1: Carbon Footstep**

_I don't really remember a lot of my childhood just the small snippets here and there… which actually isn't so bad. I like to believe I just remember the good times. Did you know my family was actually really poor in the beginning? We only had one car and my mama would use it to get to work at the old coal mines out in the countryside. Huh? Hahaha! No! I didn't mind, in fact it was actually really fun to walk to school everyday. My mom would always pick me up after she was done working at the old factories, so it was a precious time even if I didn't realize it than..._

"Is that right?" Umi asked a smile on her face as her daughter continued to enthusiastically tell her about her day at school. Kanan was always so full of extra energy that Umi had often joked she was the exact replica of her wife at such a young age.

"Yeah!" A little bluenette tugged at her mother's hand, "And Dia didn't say anything," she finished her story. Kanan was in the middle of heading home after a very productive day of being a mischievous fourth grader.

They walked home on that summer day. Umi was sweating profoundly though she did her best to keep herself poise in public, but Kanan was still too young. She didn't care about her own image yet, which allowed her to indecently fan herself. Kanan tugged at her shirt, against her mom's constant nagging, and panted like a dog after spotting a stray canine on the side of the road.

Kanan enjoyed walking with her mom especially because sometimes if she was lucky enough they would buy ice cream. It was for this exact reason that Kanan was putting on a massive show for the day.

Walking along the pathway, Kanan anticipated the icy treat as they grew closer and closer to the parlor shop. Her acting getting more and more unlady like as she begged her mom with pleading eyes to catch her hint.

Seeing her daughters shameful display of overheating, Umi looked ahead to see the cone shaped logo. A small snort escaped her at the thought that her daughter loved to be overdramatic, "Hmm I wonder if Kanan cleaned her room like I asked?"

Kanan gasped at the realisation. Flashes of her dirty room threatening to hinder her quest, "I can clean it when we get home!" she begged, pulling her mother to budge, "Please! I can clean the living room too!" she hopped in place, whining as humanly possible.

Umi nodded, "Alright," and Kanan exploded with glee. Pulling her mother forward, they hurried to entered the ice cream shop.

Once inside the shop, they were hit by a gush of cold wind. Both enjoyed the icy breeze of the thousand dollar air conditioning before continuing their journey to the counter. Kanan was quick to let go of her mom's hand in order to place her sweaty palms on the window showcase. The young girl darted towards her favorite flavors as the shop owner laughed at the occasional customers. Umi greeted the owner before looking into her purse. She counted the change and found she only had enough to get Kanan her order.

Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. Umi had also been looking forward to the cold treat, but that's just how unfair life was for her. Failing to monitor the young girl, Umi looked up from her change bag to find Kanan had ordered an extra scope.

"Kanan," she warned as she approached the counter, "I thought I said only one scope."

"But it's on spedsol," Kanan shrinked as she pointed at the poster. Umi read the context carefully with a heavy heart. Kanan was right, but they couldn't even offered the days special.

"Only one scope," she looked at the owner, "I'm sorry about the confusion."

The shop owner dismissed the apology, instead insisting the extra scope was on the house. Having the ice cream cone in one hand, Kanan took a seat on their usual table. The duo took advantage of the shops air conditioning before they went back to the heat box that was their trailer home.

"Aren't you going to eat one?" Kanan innocently asked a question that Umi was already prepared to answer.

"I ate some at work," and Kanan was hurt, "Sorry, I promise to save you some next time."

"Ok," she was appeased easily with the promise. Instantly diving right into her own vanilla flavor ice cream with a chocolate scope. Umi chuckled as she helped wipe away the melted dessert from her cheeks.

The box television set was on and Umi would peek at the local news. They didn't have a tv at home and she rarely got to see any recent news on the local paper, so Umi had to take advantage of the electronics around her to be updated with the current events. The news anchors were talking about some technological breakthrough made by some science group. An interesting subject, Umi admitted, as she recalled how she once had been mesmerized with the engineering world. She could have listened for a good hour, but Kanan had let her ice cream drop on the table. As if thinking she could be sneaky, Kanan grabbed the cold scope and placed it back on her cone.

Umi rolled her eyes as she went to grab more napkins. The front desk always had spares and she was quick to return to her child with clean aid. Her eyes looking at the television screen to see if they had switched topics, but now there was an all too familiar face smiling at the camera.

Pausing her cleaning routine, Umi stared at the ginger behind the panel.

Seeing her mother distracted by something, Kanan peered over to see her mama on tv, "It's mama!" her eyes sparkled at the woman being displayed, "Why is mama in the big tv?" she looked to Umi who was trying her hardest to listen.

"Hold on Kanan," she tried as she focused closely, but Kanan was too overwhelming with questions that demanded Umi to answer. Umi merely ignored her enough to her hear phrases, but Kanan wouldn't quiet down. Not being satisfied with the broken sentences she was barely able to catch, she asked the shop owner to raise the volume. Obeying her request, the volume was raise and Umi was shocked at what she heard.

Honoka wasn't talking, but the head of the group of five was leading the conversation, "That's right," she smiled at the report, "Project Loop will begin at the summer of next year, so please look forward to our discoveries."

…

"How could you not tell me?" Umi was furious. She paced the small shed like home up and down as Honoka sat on the wooden chair near the out of place dining table. Their trailer home shaking a bit at the bluenette's rough stomping.

"I was going to tell you," Honoka tried to appease her wife's fury, "But they didn't know if it was official and they didn't want anyone leaking any information until they made an official statement."

"I'm your wife!" Umi slaughtered the ginger's reasoning with the ultimate answer, "You can lie to all your friends, but not me. I'm the one person you have to tell everything to, aren't I?"

"Yes!" Honoka could see the hurt masking as anger, "I was wrong, I'm sorry!" the ginger stayed seated even though all she wanted to do was hug Umi, "But I… I don't have any excuses, you're right," she learned long ago not to touch the other when she was mad.

Umi crossed her arms as Honoka stayed put on her seat. Sighing from the lack of everything, Umi asked, "So are you going to tell me now?" she would have to be painfully blunt with Honoka if she wanted to learn more.

Honoka had arrived home late into the night. Kanan was already asleep and ready for school the next day, but Umi had waited for her. The ginger wasn't sure if it was a bad thing until Umi had asked her to take a seat. First came the accusation, which were then followed by guilty arguments, some reasoning, and finally a show of mercy. Which in this case was Umi letting Honoka explain herself before destroying her into oblivion.

Sensing the bluenettes curiosity Honoka would have normally teased Umi, but this wasn't the time to act cute. Honoka swallowed hard as she explained what Project Loop was all about. The program would select a team of five individuals to send into space. Their mission was to orbit around the earth while growing a garden to see if life was possible in space. To be honest, Honoka hadn't paid too much attention in the debriefing which definitely showed in her explanation.

"Honoka," Umi sighed as she held her head. There was a limit to how mad Umi could get before giving herself an unnecessary headache, "You can't mess around with the government, not like this."

"It's not what you think," Honoka stood up, her hands fishing around her pockets, "I paid attention where it counts," she pulled out the check, "Go ahead," she pushed it towards Umi, "Take a peak."

Unamused by the paper, Umi took the sheet and opened the envelope to find a check filled with four zeros, "What's this for?" her eyes widening as she looked at the numbers again.

"That's just the recrutement check!" Honoka was happy to see Umi so shocked. Anything was better then her wraith, "I get one similar to this every month just for attending the training," her chest puffing out with pride at having achieved the impossible.

"Wait what?" Umi looked at the ginger who snatched the check away. Placing the important paper down on the table, Honoka turned to Umi with a grin.

"We can leave all of this behind us," Honoka motioned towards their home, their poverty. Seeing Umi easing up, Honoka grabbed her hands forcing the bluenette to dance to the imaginary music of richness, "We can buy a house! We can buy a tv! We can buy an extra car," she preached, but Umi wasn't amused, "We can buy Kanan new clothes, her books," they paused in mid dance, "We can definitely save enough for her college!"

"Are you serious?" Umi couldn't believe their luck or in this case the government.

"As long as I stay in the program," Honoka assured her, "We can be living like royalty until the project is complete."

Umi nodded, her mind racing at the sudden income, "How many of these checks are we getting?"

Honoka thought for a minute, "Training is for an year," she grinned, "and the space trip is only six month, so we're talking about sixteen checks."

"Sixteen…" Umi was now in shock, "Thats alot," all her anger and betrayal gone with the mention of the ginger's new pay, "But you going into space," Umi didn't like knowing her wife would be anywhere she couldn't reach, "I don't like it."

"Umi its only for six months," Honoka beckoned, "I promise this will be my only space voyage," she gave Umi a small peak on the lips, "we'll be rich," another kiss, "So why don't we just enjoy it?" and another sweet peak landed. No matter how enticing the ginger made the whole idea sound, Umi didn't like her new occupation.

"I mean the whole money deal sounds amazing," Umi let Honoka continue her small attack on her lips, "But can you quit?"

Honoka's lips went on pause as she looked at Umi in confusion, "You want me to give up sixteen months of forty thousand dollars?" Umi nodded and Honoka scrunched up her brow, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I don't like the idea of some strange nerd sending you off into space," Umi begged, her insults grounding her from even more fouler words, "Can you just accept this check and call it a small victory? For me?"

"Umi it's because of you that I accepted," Honoka facial expressions soften, her arms snaking around the bluenette's waist, "I want to give you the life I promised you when we got married," she pushed the loose strands of blue hair behind her ear, "I want to give Kanan a life she could be proud of, instead of this. Do you get it? This is why I have to say yes."

Umi stayed silent. Honoka looked so desperate for her approval that she felt she had to accept, "I understand, but promise me one thing," and Honoka eagerly agreed, "Promise me that if something doesn't seem right, you will pull out of this project, ok?"

"Ok," Honoka kissed Umi passionately. Enjoying the affection, Umi wrapped her arms around Honoka's neck.

**A/N:**

**Hello everyone I hope you can enjoy this short series! **


	2. Chapter 2: A Team Of One

**Chapter 2: A Team of One**

_I noticed the bigger changes when they bought our first big home. I was given my own room and everything I needed. It was great, hmm? Of course! People were always asking us who did we have to kill to get so much money. My mama would always laugh and my mom would act as if it didn't concern her. Even when the rumors had begun to spread that we were stealing from some wealthy people… _

_Taking a moment to compose herself, the young woman stared at the interviewer as if she was remembering a valuable memory. It took a moment, but the woman soon returned back to the conversation._

_But then mom would always correct them. She would say things like how mama was an honest woman or how they wished they could amount to her achievements. _

_Life was great… I admire both of my parents very much… even now._

"Kanan!" The young elementary schooler turned to find Mari jogging towards her, "Want to come over and play? My papa just got this gaming room in our house and he said I could invite my friends to play."

"Gaming room," Kanan thought of what wonders such a room could hold. For the young fourth graders limited imagination, Kanan imagine glass bottles and sling shots in large numbers.

'They are probably made of gold,' Kanan thought as she knew that Mari's collection would put her own toys to shame. A bit intimidated by the possible new instrument, Kanan wondered if Mari would be ok if she used her own slingshot. Her thoughts being interrupted by Dia's gentle tug. The black haired friend serving as a body reminder that she had promised her parents she would come with them to the space bunker.

"But," Kanan begged and the other refused to let her miss out.

"K-Kanan," Dia pulled her arm. A single word telling Kanan that she shouldn't be swayed by the blondes offer.

"Oh! Sorry Mari, but I'm going to see the place where my mama works," Not taking the rejection to heart, Mari clapped her hands together with joy.

The whole school had started the rumors that Kanan's mama was a space captain who worked at the factory where they made stars. Although the teachers tried their best to dismiss the idea, the students had accepted their exaggerated version as the whole truth.

"I've always wanted to see the stars up close! Can I come too?" she gazed hopefully at Kanan who looked at Dia. Not sensing any harm in the blondes company, Dia shrugged.

…

"So Mrs Sonoda," the caller spoke. Both adults were wearing their best clothes as they had previous prepared all morning for their field visit. Honoka was on the land phone connected to the kitchen wall, while Umi sat on the kitchen stool waiting anxiously for the call to be over, "We've lost our other candidate which means you are officially our last space cadet."

"What does that mean for me?" Honoka was nervous. She did her best to hide her shaking form, but Umi wasn't a fool. The bluenette could see how scared Honoka was getting and how hard she was trying to surpass it.

"It means that the project is over," Honoka held her breath. Her fingers had been twirling the cord as a stress reliever, but now her whole body had stopped, "We can't send you out into space without a trained pilot," Umi couldn't hear what was being said, but deep down she had hoped it was what she thought, "Is what would happen if you decline our offer," Honoka swallowed, "The project would be push to an even later date if you would be willing to train as a pilot for a couple of extra weeks."

"I understand," Honoka's hand were shaking, "I would need to talk to my wife about this."

"Of course Mrs Sonoda," Umi couldn't sit down anymore. She stood up and waited behind her wife with worry, "If you decided to agree to the extra training we will increase your pay as well."

"Thank you," Honoka nodded to no one as she hung up. Exhaling all the bad air within her, Umi wasted no time in questioning her. A bit surprised by the bluenettes hoard of questions, Honoka began were she thought was most important.

"They want me to train as the pilot," The ginger could feel her legs become wobbly. This was too much news and responsibility then she was prepared to accept, "They said they would pay me extra for it too."

"Oh. What happened to the previous pilot?" Umi followed her wife to a chair. Honoka practically collapsed onto the wooden rest as she began breathing slowly. Sensing her distress, Umi pulled up another chair and took a seat right next to her.

"She backed out," Honoka looked at Umi, "What do you think?" She was too afraid to make any decisions especially now that one of the options was to be blasted off into space alone.

"Honoka," Umi didn't know what to do either. They sat there in silence as they pondered what the best choice was for their family.

A gloomy atmosphere had replaced the days joyful excitement. As if sensing the doom, Honoka reached out for her wife. Holding hands was their attempt at trying to share some courage with one another, "Umi I want to try."

"Are you crazy!" Umi was shocked to hear Honoka insist after her body language had told her differently, "Honoka this is obviously a sign that this project will fail!" Umi held Honoka's hand tightly, anchoring her to her side. Umi was practically begging the ginger to stay, "You promised me that if things seem fishy, you would pull out. Aren't things going wrong now?" she emphasized with her eyes.

"I know, but Umi," Honoka could see their future clearly. If she could just hold up a couple of months in space alone, then her family would be fine. And deep down, Honoka had actually been looking forward to space. She saw this project as a way to expand herself into someone worth remembering. She wanted to be known as a space evolutionist rather than a coal miner, "We haven't even started," Honoka wanted to be someone important, so important that Kanan would be proud to be her daughter.

Umi always knew when Honoka wouldn't listen. Her determine blue were shining with a dare Umi couldn't beat, "Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"You can't!" Honoka rejected the idea, "Who will take care of Kanan?"

"I can send her to my mothers," and Honoka denied it. Growing frustrated at the gingers lack of partnership, Umi retaliated, "So it's fine for you to throw away your family, but god forbid if I do the same!"

"This is different!" Honoka didn't want to tell her the complete truth, "It just is…" And Umi scuffled. Shaking her head, Umi pulled her hands away.

"Fine. Then go," she stood up with her head tilted up and her eyes closed. Umi needed to take some fresh air away from her problems, "You can go alone to the station."

Sensing the hurt, Honoka grabbed Umi and pulled her into her lap. Arms were snaked around Umi's waist as Honoka buried her head into the other's shoulder. Shocked by the sudden hug, Umi stubbornly tried to pull away. Her effort being paused by the sudden confession, "I don't want you to regret it," Halting her movements, the bluenette listened as the ginger's next words. Seeing she had no choice then to tell Umi her insecurities, Honoka's heart picked up speed, "I don't want you to regret having married me."

"What?" Umi twisted herself in the ginger's lap enough to see Honoka.

The poor girl was shaking all over. Her eyes were downcast and her usual prep was replaced with years of self hate. Umi almost didn't recognize her, "Everyone said it. They said that if you hadn't met me that you could have been someone great…" Umi didn't speak, she needed to hear it all, "Sometimes I wonder if I screwed up your future by taking you," Honoka's eyes watered as she shrugged at her actions, "So when these scientist found me and offered me this miracle how could I have said no?"

"Honoka," Umi didn't know what to say. Instead she took her wife's head in her hands and kissed her softly, "Don't you ever regret marrying me," and the ginger dismissed the accusation immediately.

"I would never!"

Umi understood as she held the ginger's head close to her, "That's how I feel. When I agreed to marry you, I agreed to be with you no matter what, so get that foolish idea out of your head."

Honoka nodded as she clung to Umi. Her eyes using the bluenette's outfit to dry any loose tears, "R-Right."

"If this project means that much to you, then ok," Umi stroked the gingers hair, "I'll support you, but just promise me one thing," and Honoka agreed, "Promise me everything will be ok."

…

"Check this out!" Kanan ran towards the giant telescope. Mari was already ahead of her and Dia was trying to keep up with the hyper duo.

The adults laughed as they continued the tour of the space facility, "It's funny because that telescope was our first model we've ever constructed. It helped capture all kinds of meteor cycles around our planets perimeter," the blonde scientist delivered her fun facts, "We're think of making a smaller scope and just tossing it out into space to catch a glimpse of the outer planets."

"I could only imagine the wonders it would capture," Umi politely commented as Honoka made sure the kids didn't touch anything too important. Taking a small jog towards the daring three, Umi watched as they proceeded to touch everything. The ginger was running around giving orders to Mari and Kanan not to touch while Dia listened too faithfully. The poor girl ended up standing still among the chaos.

Giggling at the silliness, Umi coughed to recompose herself in front of her company. Eli stared at the bluenette a bit too long before speaking again, "I sometimes wonder how life would be once we prove that life can exist outside our planet," Not noticing the blondes gaze, Umi turned her attention back to the scientist, "Can you imagine space homes floating around our orbit?" Eli smiled as she tried to get the other to hop on her idea.

"Yes," Umi nodded politely. Her tone sounding a bit sarcastic, "I hope this project makes all those things possible."

"And they will!" Eli assured her, "I promise," she smiled and Umi nervously nodded. Feeling like a dork, the blonde scratched her head, "So six months huh? Are you going to be lonely?"

"I can't imagine anyone not feeling lonely when the government wants to ship off their wife into space," Umi still held a grudge, but she remained civil.

"Right," Eli nervously laughed, but Umi didn't find it at all humors. Sensing the tension, Eli quickly added, "Do you want to see the control room?"

"Why not?" Umi turned to call back the others much to Eli's disappointment.

**A/N:**

**Thank you all for enjoying this story! This story is practically done, so please feel free to join me till the very end. **


	3. Chapter 3: Space Is Quiet

**Chapter 3: Space Is Quiet**

_Mama spent a lot of time training. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to her car pulling in just to hear it go off. I would always stay up late just to catch glimpses of her as if I didn't believe that she really was training. It was a fun time for me. I don't think I really believe it was true until she wore her blue jumpsuit. I was so proud to be her daughter. But when her spaceship zoomed into the sky, that's when I finally realized what I wanted to be._

"Major Honoka do you read us?" the communicator rang.

Honoka swallowed nervously as she flipped a couple of switched on the grand panel, "I read you loud and clear ground control," The sizzling of metal support unhatching itself to the ship boosters echoed along the platform.

The video feed installed in the ship's control room would only capture the gingers moments when in close connection to the ground satellite. Meaning that once the ginger was in space the feed would be cut off and the radio would replace their communications link. Though for now, the control room had a decent view of the ginger's final moments on Earth.

Sitting in the space facilities control room were a larger group of scientists. All busy monitoring the conditions and fuel levels of the ship as well as weather patterns to provide the astronaute with a smooth trip. Honoka was also busy checking the circuits and connections one final time before she ready herself for the take off.

Eli stood inside the private bunker nearest the ship viewing platform with Umi and Kanan standing nearby in their own seats. Kanan was swinging her legs back and forth patiently waiting for the ship to take off, while Umi held her purse tightly close to herself. The bunker had live video feed from the ginger's cockpit, so they could all see Honoka. Umi watched with intensity as Honoka adjust her helmet and gloves. They could see her, but she couldn't see them.

Eli didn't know how to ease the bluenette's worry, so she tried to make small talk, "You don't have to worry about anything, this ship is state of the art," Umi flashed her a glance, before returning them to the small panel showing the ginger. Choosing to ignore the blonde, Umi waited.

"If everything is checked off, we will begin the countdown," Nico's voice spoke through the speakers receiving a small nod from the ginger. Honoka closed her eyes preparing herself mentally for the final moment.

Sitting in her chair, Honoka could feel all the pressure and anxiety throughout the final days of training suddenly erupt from her. This was the real thing. No amount of prepping or reassurance could have prepared her for it. Honoka trembled a bit. An action no one noticed but her wife.

Umi could see the fear and it killed her knowing she couldn't help her at all. She watched as Honoka tried so desperately to shake off the nerves through stretching and jazz hands, "Ready when you are ground control," Honoka placed her hands on the handles.

Kanan stood up with excitement as the boosters began to roar to life. She ran to the window as she watched the machinery begin to smoke. Umi followed as she stood right behind her daughter. Her hands resting on her shoulders as Kanan winced from the pain of her mom's strong grip. Umi was just as nervous alongside her wife as her hands unknowingly squeezing her daughters shoulders tightly. Irritated from the pressure, Kanan shook off her mom's hands and adjust herself to see her mama blast off into space.

"5," Honoka was breathing slowly as the control panel in front of her lit up with different colors.

"4," Umi wanted to run off towards the ship and demand that Honoka unboard immediately.

"3" Kanan jumped up and down, her eyes watching as the rocket boosters began to ring.

"2," Eli watched the whole scene while taking some sneak peeks at the bluenette. She debated if she should offer her hand as support to the other, but ultimately voted against it.

"1!" the group of scientist leaned forward on their chairs to watch the ship blast off.

They all watched as Honoka's ship blasted off the platform. The moment the ship was out of sight from the bunker, Umi immediately turned to the live feed. The ginger's body was vibrating fast as the ship skyrocketed through the troposphere. Kanan fell in love with the take off. The young girl was already trying to talk with the two adults about the launch, but they weren't done looking. Everyone held their breath as they knew it wasn't over until Honoka reached space.

The math might have been right, but no one was sure if the ship would even break through the thermosphere or even enter it. Honoka held onto her seat as the ships manual settings made sure the rest of the journey was smooth as calculated. The video feed becoming glitchy as she went higher and higher into the sky.

Too excited to wait any longer for a proper response, Kanan ran to her mom, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" she tried to get her to respond to her.

"One second," Umi tried to calm her. Sensing the bluenette's need to see the whole thing, Eli tapped the younger girls shoulder.

"Why don't we get you a miniature replica of your mama's ship?" And Kanan beamed with joy. Umi looked at Eli with gratitude as the blonde ready herself for the trip. She would take Umi's daughter to the visitors gift shop in the museum part of the facility, "Come find us when it's over," Eli waved as the little girl stepped out of the bunker first.

Umi nodded as she returned her eyes to the screen, "I-I," The static screen captured Honoka looking at the camera. Shock was on her features as her mouth began to mouth with inaudible words before the feed went dead.

"Get the sound back up!" Someone shouted as the main control center went into panic at the disconnection.

Umi held her arms tight as she listened in on the conversations. Honoka's helmet might have been tinted for protection from the solar rays in space, but Umi could have sworn she saw Honoka's face softened once their eyes met. She needed to believe that for some strange reason they knew that the other was watching.

"Major Honoka do you read us?" Nico kept repeating into her mic set. Depending on her team to fix whatever coding error they might have encountered. Fear was running high with everyone as the ship got closer to the thermosphere.

"T-T…#*%#-This is Major Honoka," the audio had returned, "Have successfully broken through," came the static sound, "You guys should see the view from up here, wowie!"

The room erupted into glee at having succeeded. Umi sighed in relief as the video link was disabled. Umi was a bitter mess as she went looking for her daughter. She had spent the whole day yesterday preparing her heart for the separation. But now that it was the reality, Umi felt like she was trapped in a bad dream.

Eli smiled as Kanan held her minimodel in her hands. She was beaming everyone with unlimited happiness, "Kanan," they turned to find Umi jogging to them, "Mama is in space now," she hugged the small bluenette, "She's in space."

"I already knew that! But check this out," Kanan didn't waste time to showcase her item. Umi's smile was filled with a sense of loneliness as she awed in amazement at the box.

"Congratulations on being the wife to the first woman in space," Eli tried to get Umi's attention. She felt like the young mother could use some sort of reassurance, "It's just six months and we'll be monitoring her from here."

"Good because I don't want any problems from here on out," Umi wasn't joking as she made Kanan wave goodbye to the scientist. The duo deciding to go home after such a long morning.

…

Honoka sighed as she maneuvered through the small spaceship that would serve as both her home and work space. There was a heavy dense window large enough to let her see more properly out into the black terrain which was located at the side of the ship. She couldn't wait to look outside, but first came the basic oxygen stabilizer. Her fingers made quick work on the pre-programmed software as the ship hummed into action.

The inner controls beeping at her that oxygen levels were now at one hundred percent, so she could remove her suit safely. Wasting no time, Honoka unlatched her helmet and inhaled the packed air. It hit differently than Earth's natural supply, but she wasn't expecting much from transported oxygen. Letting her helmet float in place, Honoka removed her suit before placing it in its proper storage. Once it was hooked up she wasted no time placing the helmet in its compartment.

With those boring task officially done, Honoka spinned her way to the window.

Space was larger than she could have ever imagined. Earth was glowing bright with blue and greens from the life below her. The clouds spinning much quicker around the Earth as her ship stayed on the planet's gravitational circle. The stars were so far and spaced apart that Honoka almost missed their faint glow.

Space wasn't at all how she imagined it would be, it was beautiful. The ginger could remember how overdramatic others had made it seemed theoretically, but Honoka sighed. She didn't see the appeal. Her eyes kept wandering back to Earth, back to where she wanted to believe Umi and Kanan were watching with pride in their eyes.

…

"Space kid!" Kanan beamed with pride as another adult acknowledged her mama's job.

"Space kid," a random stranger finger banged as they tottle by in their bike.

Kanan was high off pure bliss as everyone was as proud of her mama as she was. The young girl's mama was the talk of the whole town as everyone kept to date with the discoveries Honoka was sending from space. They were just the ginger's verbal notes, but the whole world was listening. Kanan felt like the coolest person alive thanks to her mama.

"Kanan!" Mari walked alongside her, "Your mama has been in space for two months now," she lifted up two fingers, "I tried to get my dad to go up there too, but he isn't as brave as your mama."

Hearing that, Kanan puffed her chest up with pride, "My mama is the most bravest person alive!"

"I know!" Mari fed her ego. They walked to the park to meet up with Dia for a day filled with jungle gyms and tag, "I wish she was my mama," and Kanan couldn't help but laugh.

Meanwhile, Umi sat alone in their fairly large home. She sat at the kitchen counter, her hot tea having cooled in her hands as she stared at the newspaper article. The headlines were all about the space studies progression. They explained how they were now understanding the cosmos thanks to the space knowledge, but she wasn't really reading the discoveries. No, she just kept staring at the page. Her thoughts were on her wife. Umi wondered if she was as lonely as she was though Umi knew that Honoka had it much worse. After all, Umi had their daughter to take care of and friends to talk with, while Honoka only had the plant life she needed to take care of.

Umi sighed. They still had a few months before they could meet once again in person, but Umi already felt like it had been thousands of years. It was hard taking care of Kanan and pretending she was just as happy with the ginger as Kanan declared. Her life just felt so void of life that it took Umi all her willpower from storming into the control room at the space facility and demanding Honoka to return. After all, they had been together ever since they were children. So this was the longest any of them had been away from each other. Another groan escaped her as she took a sip of her drink.

"Ah its cold," Umi had finally noticed the chilled tea.

…

"You're sick," with legs up on her desk and screen blinking with a regular signals, the black haired scientist was one of the few to remain inside the control room for lunch, "She's married."

"It's not like that!" Eli blushed as she fidgeted in her wheely chair, "I'm just saying maybe she's lonely? So what if I asked her out to dinner, … is that weird?"

"You're a freak!" Nico smirked as she watched the blonde get even more flustered. Her laughter making the blonde a nervous mess, but Nico was curious, "So are you going to do it?"

"Are you encouraging me or shaming me!" Eli groaned as she looked over random graphs. Her own mind not understanding why she was behaving in such a way.

"Both," Nico tapped her pen on the clipboard, "I want to say don't do it, but what the wife doesn't know won't hurt her right?" The gossip in the control room was limited as the group of nerds were humble and non-problematic. This was the closest Nico was going to get to some good gossip, "But did you ask her?"

Eli blushed even harder, "You see we had a miscommunication," and Nico bursted into laughter. Encouraging her to continue even though she didn't believe her, Eli told the story, "I asked her out to dinner, but she thought I meant it as 'come have dinner here in the control room for some unauthorized private time with your wife' and so that happened."

"You sick pervert," Nico laughed as she hit her head with her hand, "Why are you always attracted to women you can't have," she screamed with amusement. Though there was one question left to ask, "But did you?"

"I mean I kind of had to," Eli remembered having to sneak the family in at night. A shiver running down her spine at the possibility of getting fires. She didn't want to talk about her attempts of keeping Umi company any more, "Anyways what's going on with you?"

"No way!" Nico placed her clipboard down, her feet coming down from her desk, "You have to tell me the details right now! What else did you try?"

Trying to push away the conversation, Eli made up some random excuse, "I'll only tell you if you get me some lunch from Javanos."

Nico groaned, but hopped to her feet at the juicy conversation, "This better be worth it," she warned as she went to get the delivery.

Finally alone in the control room for half an hour, Eli sighed as she watched the information on her screen. Almost forgetting that she wasn't truly alone. Sighing from all the awkwardness that was her life, Eli hadn't realized there was another listener.

"Ground Control, did I just hear you saying your trying to get my wife to go out to dinner with you?"

Eli's blood went cold as she looked at the mic which was unmistakably on. Eli had forgotten that she had accidentally leaned on the device when defending herself from the other. Her actions causing it to turn on.

"Thats cold," Honoka teased from up in space, "Do you also go after widows?"

She had seen the red blinker during her rounds from the observatory. Thinking it might have been something urgent, Honoka placed on her mic set only to catch the conversation between the operators. A smile was on her face as she listened in on the mindless chatter before a rush of jealousy replaced it once she heard it was about Umi. 'How could they be talking about someone's wife like that?' Honoka flashed angry scenarios in her mind before calming down to a simmer. What could she do? She was in space and there was nothing she could do except have faith in Umi.

That and also guilt shame her operator.

"I-It's not like that!" Eli practically ear raped Honoka as the ginger lifted the soft ear pieces away from her flesh, "I just thought she was lonely and mabye I could keep watch over your family while you're up in space."

Honoka snorted, her eyes traveling to the Earth spinning slowly on its axis, "Did you know there are no days out here in space?" Eli was caught off guard by the change of topic, "It's always dark out here with just the Earth and Sun providing most of the light."

"Oh," Eli was unsure where the ginger was going with that common fact.

"I don't know what day it is," Honoka floated. A part of her no longer being mad at the blonde. Honoka unknowingly was overwhelmingly happy with the extra communication, "I think I also forgot how I looked like...," Honoka confessed, "... how are they?"

Eli was a bit shocked, "They're coping," Eli watched as someone on the intercom warned whoever was in the control room to turn off the mic. Saying that they were wasting energy the ship couldn't offered to lose, Eli obeyed the command, "Sorry Major Honoka, but I have to leave you until tomorrows check in."

"Roger that Control room," Honoka watched as the small red bulb blinked off. A breeze of uncertainty falling upon her at her renewed isolation. With eyes downcasted and shoulders dropped from the unwelcomed foreign calamity, Honoka hovered in silence.

Alone again.

Taking her time, the ginger removed her mic set before setting it upon its hook storage. This was torture upon her social soul. Honoka was desperate for anything, she looked at the Earth. The idea that millions of others were just there oblivious to her presences. The only comfort she could muster was holding her arm. No one was with her. She had to do this for six months yet she had no idea how much time had already passed.

Her documentation read about four months worth of data, but her sense of time was out of order. Had it really been so long or was she just hallucinated the months rolling by to ease her loneliness? Honoka swallowed as she tried to occupy her time making her rounds on the space shuttle. Her body floating towards the experiment set up in a small room. All plant life had died on the second month, but the control room had encourage the ginger to withstand the full term in case the plants regrew with radioactive strength.

Once her rounds were done there was nothing to do. Honoka sighed as she went to her sleeping quarters to retrieve a small camera they allowed her to keep for herself. Her lips curled upward at the thought of starting the days video diary a bit earlier than usual.

**A/N:**

**I'm glad to see many people enjoying the read! Thank you very much! This story came to creation thanks to a song that inspired the idea ^^ **

**Please look forward to the next chapter of this story.**


	4. Chapter 4: Returning Home

**Chapter 4: Returning Home**

_Oh no! I can't wait to go into space. I've waited a long time for this opportunity… If I may, I'd like to personally thank the M.S. society and my mom for supporting me throughout all these years. I hope everyone is as excited as I am for this long awaited rescue trip._

"How are you holding up?" Nico was on the mic as she noted down some reminders. The control room was half filled with other scientists too busy with their own preparations to bother one another. Computers were glowing with codes and data as bodies ran in and out of the control room.

"Ground control I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" Honoka stated as she examined her own equipment. She made sure that all power was still holding strong and ready for the trip home. Her hands brushing around the panels as she examined that each bulb and switch were still in their own correct place.

Nico hummed knowingly. A smile being unable to keep itself from her face as she could hear the others excitement. Honoka was under her responsibilities even though this assignment was a co-partnership with Eli, but she didn't mind. It was better that she was the one talking with the ginger after all Eli was better with handling the internal monitoring.

Plus it also helped that when it was Nico on the mic, they would often have a bit of unauthorized fun. Honoka liked to joke about the blonde scientist after Eli had rubbed her the wrong way during one of the check ups and Nico encouraged it because she didn't see no harm in some bad mouthing. It wasn't hard to tell that Nico was Honoka's favorite operator.

"Good, good. It's just a few more hours," Nico reminded, but she doubted Honoka needed any reminders, "Make sure to check that the fuel tank is half filled and that the rockets are positioned away from space if you want it to shoot you back home."

"I'm on it!" Honoka saluted, "I'll see you in a bit for the final check up," the ginger commented and Nico nodded, "Over and out ground control," and the communicator ended.

Nico switched the mic off and scribbled down on her notepad. Everything was falling into place, they had all the data they needed and all they were missing was Honoka's physical study. The room was looking in good shape from the mornings earlier chaos that had each individual running up and down repeating commands and instructions. Nico looked around the room to see everyone prepared for the big event.

Standing with pride, Nico was proud to say that Honoka Kousaka Sonoda would be returning back home.

From outside the compound, Eli was dealing with the press. She built up their discoveries and encouraged all kinds of media companies to join them during the returning launch. Their whole group was ready for the success the mission would grant them. Both their careers and their team would achieve stardom fame for having successfully sent a person into space in addition to the space knowledge.

"Someone get us some good champagne!" Nico yelled, "We're drinking them once the shuttle hits the ground," and someone went to buy the alcoholic drink.

…

Umi's house was buzzing with life. Kanan was running around the home with her two friends playing tag while a couple of men in uniform moved the cake she had previously order into the kitchen table.

"Make sure it's not too close to the edge," Umi warned as Kanan and Mari peered at the large pastry, "Don't touch it! This is for your mama when she comes home."

Kanan was filled with glee, "I can't wait for mama to get home! I'm going to get space rocks," the bluenette confessed, "space rocks, space rocks!" she chanted as Mari tugged at Umi's long skirt.

"Is Mrs Sonoda going to bring all of us space rocks?" she wondered and Umi didn't remember Honoka promising anything.

"I'm sure she'll bring back something more meaningful than rocks," Umi tried to help the ginger. She didn't want Honoka to be expected to come home with gifts when all she ever did was stay inside the spaceship.

Mari was confused by the wording, but Kanan was high off life, "Come on!" she pulled the blonde along, "We have to do the thing."

Mari followed the bluenette and Umi sighed. She would have questioned the young girls intentions if she wasn't busy with her own surprises. Umi couldn't wait to see her wife's face when she arrived home. She knew Honoka would have been happy with a private party, but the ginger deserved to get all the recognition she deserved. Family and friends were coming and it was up to Umi to have everything ready. The catering company had just arrived with the parties entres and a truck with refreshments were parked in front of her driveway.

Shaking off the nerves, Umi greeted the workers as she put the finishing touches on the party. Like mother and daughter, Kanan was also working hard.

From inside her treehouse, Kanan entered in time to see Dia finishing the red ribbon on her present, "Did you already wrap it?" and Dia nodded.

Kanan approached the small box with joy. Her hands taking the gift gently to avoid breaking it, "When are you going to give it to her?" Mari asked as the three sat in a circle.

The noises of furniture moving and portable tables being installed in the backyard filled the air. Dia and Mari were already dressed for the party, their parents coming later once the party officially started. Kanan was still not dressed, instead she prioritizes her gift over everything else.

"Later when we're alone," Kanan smiled as she cradled the gift, "I hope she likes it."

"She'll love it!" Dia proudly announced. Seeing all eyes fall on her, she blushed, "I-I mean she has to…"

"You think?" Kanan wondered before Mari interrupted their conversation.

"We have to hide it!" she insisted, "It has to be somewhere safe until you can give it to her."

"Right!" Kanan agreed as she climbed down the treehouse. The gift in her hand as she descended downwards with difficulty, "I'll go hide it, so can you guys clean up?" she referred to the mess they had made.

"You got it!" Mari thumbs up as Kanan ran back inside.

Darting to her room, Kanan closed the door behind her as she placed the box inside her drawer. Everything was ready for her mama. Six months of having no contact with the woman was already too much. Although Kanan didn't mind the time as long as she was coming home, but her mom did. Kanan reminded herself that before she did anything else, she was going to lecture her mama for leaving for so long.

Though her mind was trying to be harsh, she still couldn't keep from smiling. Her mama would be back soon. Her mama that everyone talked about, her space captain, her hero was coming home. Kanan wiped a few tears away from her eyes as she composed herself. Turning to her closet, her eyes had landed on posters and paper decorating her walls. They were all newspaper articles about her mama, photos of her ground team, and her ship. Magazines about space littered the ground as a telescope was positioned next to her window. The same telescope she and her mom would use every night to try to spot Honoka in the space.

Kanan scavenged for the outfit her mom had previously prepared for her. It was time to get ready.

…

Honoka was ready to roll. Everything was checked and operating, everything was prepared for her journey back to Earth. It was a funny thing. Now that her time in space was coming to an end, Honoka felt a small pinch of sadness. She took the time to move around the shuttle in an attempt to say goodbye to her small home.

Her form floating to the plant life that had barely sprung, "I'll miss you Kanan Jr," she spoke to the plant before turning to the empty soil next to it, "I'm sorry you never got to blossom Little Umi," she saluted before examining the rest of the plants, "Come on guys, we all knew this was coming," she spoke to the plants.

She was just so happy to be returning home that she almost missed the red dot blinking at the incoming call. Ground control was trying to contact her and Honoka wasted no time picking up the call. Zooming as fast as she could through the empty space, Honoka grabbed her head set and turned on the communicator.

"This is Major Honoka, tell me some good news ground control," she beamed.

"Major Honoka were ready to send you home," Nico's voice rang, "Is everything ready on your end?"

"Almost! Just need to place on my suit," and ground control understood, "Give me a minute," Honoka removed the set and bounced to the suit compartment.

She placed on her equipment making sure she was completely covered and safe inside her space suit. Honoka was just about ready to bounce back to the control station when space outside the clear window caught her attention. Taking a moment's glance, Honoka was shocked to see a rock floating pass her ship.

"Rock?" she neared the window to see more of the floating material passing by her.

The situation wasn't setting right with her. Honoka pushed herself quickly back to the control panel turning the mic already installed in her suit on, "Ground control we have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"Theres rocks floating around the ship," Honoka looked at every window to see the round subjects passing by her.

"Rocks?" Nico looked at her team and everyone was already working on it, "There shouldn't be anything-"

"Hello?" Honoka asked as she heard nothing from the communicator. Removing her helmet, she tried the ships mic, "Ground control?"

Suddenly a large clunk vibrated against the ship sending Honoka forward, "... -M-Ma… -onks?"

"Holy shit," Honoka looked outside to see larger rocks coming at her with more speed.

Another thud and Honoka felt the ship turn on its side. Panic surged through her as she placed back her helmet. Her hands going to work on the ships control. Meanwhile at ground control, everyone was on overdrive.

"Get her out of there!" Nico yelled as the tech support try to activate the ship's auto controls.

"The ships not responding!" Someone yelled as the sounds of furious typing echoed the room.

"The censor isn't working!" more typing, "The meteor must have hit the ships hard drive."

"I said get her out of there!" Nico ran to her station as Eli took control of the mic.

"Major Honoka do you read me?" Eli nervously asked.

Honoka held onto the support handle as another push forced the ship to twirl, "Barely," she stated. The communications barely coming back online.

"I need you to manually drive the ship back to Earth," Eli commanded and Honoka looked around the panels.

Everything was spinning and she almost felt sick when another slam sent the ship right in between two meteors. The electricity glitched before shutting off and back on again. Honoka took the small window of opportunity to switch the controls to manual. The panel was flashing all sorts of lights warning her of damages she had no idea how to fix. Instead Honoka tried to position the ship back into its original course.

A beeping noise warning her that the ship was losing its oxygen supply. Now she only had her suits tank to keep her alive. Feeling the pressure, Honoka tried her best to set off the rockets, but nothing came. Fear was written all over her face as she looked to the fuel tank. Empty.

She dashed out to the nearest window to see the fuel in circular form moving all around the ship. She could no longer go home.

"Ground control!" she begged for help, "Ground control!" but no one was responding anymore.

"Major Honoka!" Eli was calling for her over and over again.

"The circuits are fried," someone said and Eli stayed still. They had lost connection. They had lost their ship. They had lost their astronaut.

Her fears were riding high as tears fell down her frighten features, but before she could call out to ground control again another meteor hit the ship. Being flung forward, another hit pushed the ship with enough velocity to break away from the Earth's pull.

"No no no no nonono," Honoka pushed aside the broken material away from her face to see the damage. Looking out the window, Honoka caught the sight of her planet getting further and further away.

Passing the silver moon and flying away from the glowing blue planet, Honoka was on a one way trip into deep space.

**A/N:**

**Thank you for reading this far! We are coming to the end and I hope you can all enjoy it. I enjoyed writing this story and I can't wait for everyone to read the conclusion. Fight on Honoka!**


	5. Chapter 5: Captain

**Chapter 5: Captain**

"No thank you for having me," the bluenette smiled at the hostess before shaking her hand. They both stood up to take on the applause that erupted from the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Kanan Kousaka Sonoda," the hostess reanounced. With the audience eager to clap again while cheering for the space captain. Kanan turned away from the camera's as they switched off for commercial break. Taking her leave, Kanan was allowed to step back stage.

The backstage crew kept their congratulations short out of respect for the young captain's need for privacy. She was already tired from having spent the whole day jumping from one interviewer to another, so Kanan appreciated the minimum contact. It felt like this was her one hundredth interview since her company announced her connection to the mission.

The mission, which was to retrieve an old spacecraft that managed to re-enter their galaxy, would have been an easy task for the experienced space captain if it wasn't for the significance of the trip. Like hungry wolves, all the media outlets wanted to talk to her about her mama. Their questions centering around her mama's history and Kanan's tragic childhood. Rarely did she get questions about what she hoped to accomplish after successfully bring the old technology back to Earth or what the space company was planning on doing with the old craft.

Kanan wished that her company had kept it all a secret, but her sponsors saw ways to profit off her bloodline. As far as they knew, Kanan's trip to space would be the talk of the century and they wanted to boost their publicity as much as possible. Lucky for them, they were right. Kanan's tragedy was bring in calls that talked about offering the station donations just to get any time with the young captain before her flight.

It was a good thing today was her last day. Driving home, Kanan eased her mind with music. Her car was filled with some 90's pop she remembered listening to as a kid. Old songs she could recall her parents dancing to when they spent their days off at home with her. Normally she would be listening to something else entirely, but talking about her parents and knowing she was just a day away from meeting her mama had her feeling some type of way.

Kanan didn't like showcasing her wealth, a habit she grew up with thanks to her mom, so she drove around with an old rustic truck just for fun. She had time to make one more visit as she drove into a familiar highway.

With time, the world had changed since she was a young girl. Space travel had boomed and colonies were everywhere inside the Milky Way Galaxy. Planet Earth was just an old real estate that traditionalist or classic enthusiast enjoyed living on. Her coworkers had once joked about her still living on the planet seeing as space employees got great benefits and discounts around space. Many of her acquaintances took residency on Mars or Venus, though she was surprised to know Saturn had become a hot spot for the older crowd. But Kanan enjoyed Earth, she couldn't have imagined herself on any other planet.

Driving up to her childhood home, Kanan parked her car just in time to see someone walking out, "Good evening Ms. Tojo," the bluenette shouted at the old woman.

"Kanan?!" the older woman shuffled over as she adjusted her glasses not believing it was really her, "I thought you were already in space," Kanan locked her car as she walked over to the fragile body.

"I ship off later," Kanan corrected, "Thought I give mom some piece of mind before I go," she hugged the older woman, "How's mom?"

"Oh she'd be delighted to see you!" the woman adjusted her dull violet hair, "And your looking just as dashing as I remember," she winked.

Kanan laughed though Nozomi was very serious. Rolling her eyes playfully, Nozomi placed her wallet in her bag before she forgot the small thing. Seeing the small item, Kanan spoke, "Are you headed out? Do you want me to go instead?"

"Please! I need some time away from her," she had raised her voice unknowingly. Hushing herself at the realisation that she might have spoken too loud, Nozomi quickly added, "I mean stretch my legs," she winked and Kanan chuckled, "Besides it would do both of you guys some good to have a moment alone," she patted Kanan's arm, "I'll see you when I get back."

"Yeah," Kanan nodded as Nozomi shuffled into a small grey car. Engine activating, the vehicle's bottom glowed blue as it levitated off the ground and darted backwards into the driveway.

Kanan ignored the old woman's bad driving as she entered the home. Announcing her presence, Kanan took a couple of steps forward before hearing her mom beckoning her towards the old guest room. A room which had become the master bedroom once her mother found it too difficult to climb up the stairs. The young girl was no stranger to the home as she walked the short distances. Old pictures of her adolescents were hung on the wall with her and her mom celebrating many things like awards and graduations. Friends and family were also decorating the space. But throughout all the faces there, Kanan knew they were always someone missing.

Knocking on the door, Kanan entered her mom's room, "Hey mom," she spoke quietly.

Umi was seated up on her bed. The pillows providing her with some back support as a tray carrying a jug of water and pills sat on the nightstand. The window was open to let in some of the fading sun as the bedroom lamp was on to allow the older woman to read, "Can you get the blinds," Umi commanded as she took off her reading glasses. Placing her book down on her lap, Umi waited for her daughter to return to her side, "So it's finally happening," her voice a bit too neutral.

"Yeah," Kanan didn't know what to say. So instead she rubbed the back of her neck. Seeing her uncomfortably baffled caused Umi to smile half heartedly.

"Your mama use to do that too," Kanan paused her actions as she digested her mom's words. The ginger had almost become a taboo topic for the older woman, so it was surprising to hear her say that.

Kanan could remember the small oath she made to herself as a child. An unspoken promise that Honoka was just never to be spoken of, especially when she saw the pain in her mom's yellow eyes.

"Did she now?" Kanan stopped moving afraid that another action would trigger another painful memory to her mother. Truth be told, Kanan didn't remember Honoka as much, yet the pride was still there. She could remember feeling so proud to be her daughter as a little girl, but that eventually turned into hate in her teen years. Luckily for Kanan, she never lost the dream her mama had sprouted.

"She would always get into trouble just like when you were little, but unlike her you grew up," Umi laughed at her own joke. Her eyes looking at her beautiful daughter, "So tell me, when can I expect my wedding invite?"

"What?" Kanan was caught off guard by the strange question.

"Kanan," her mom scolded, "Don't tell me you haven't properly responded to those girl's feelings yet."

"I-I haven't," Kanan blushed, "But it doesn't matter," she tried to reason, "I'll respond to them properly when I get back."

"Coward," Umi teased, not allowing her daughter to catch any glimpses of her own sadness. Umi felt she should ease her daughter's heart with some humor, "A true Sonoda claims what is theirs immediately," Seeing Kanan roll her eyes, Umi added, "How else did you expect me to have grabbed your mama? I simple pulled her aside one day and," she hummed to herself in thought, "what do the kids call it these days? Clapped'em cheeks?"

"Mom!" Kanan blushed. She didn't need the mental visual of her parents doing anything.

Umi laughed as she pushed, "So who are you giving the old Sonoda tactic to? Is it the pretty blonde one or the black one?"

Kanan refused to be humiliated any further. Seeing a means to get back at the older woman, Kanan tried to even the grounds, "Tell me why Ms. Tojo was here," and Umi frowned, "See it isn't nice to accuse."

"I'm not accusing you if it really happened," Umi defended, but immediately began to cough, "Forget it. If you don't want to give me grandchildren I'll let that hang on your conscious," Kanan grinned in triumphant as they avoided her love life, "Anyways Ms Tojo was just here to keep me company. She thought it would be bad for me to spend the day alone seeing as you're going off into space to get her," Umi paused for a bit. Her mouth moving a bit nervously, "To bring Honoka home."

It suddenly dawned on the young bluenette what her trip meant to her mom, "Right," and Umi placed her hands together, "By the way mom, the space company I work for wants to take her ship and place it in the museum of old technology," the older woman nodded. Glad to hear that Honoka was still bring home discoveries, "They also want to know what to do with her body," Kanan was straight to the point. A trait she had adapted from Umi herself as she didn't want to place any emotional strain on her mom, "They can give her a hero's burial or if you want we can cremate her or we can bury her somewhere. We can do whatever you want mom."

A silence passed over them as Umi thought, "You bring her home… to me," Umi's hands trembled as she composed herself, "You bring her home," she tried again.

"Got it," Kanan held her mother's hand tightly as she gave her some comfort.

They talked for a while about silly things to distract from the heavy topic. Eventually they talked about Kanan's interviews, how she was feeling and what they would do once she was back. They could do anything to celebrate her mission success. All but one thing that had become a family rule: no parties. Parties were not a thing neither women were fond of especially surprise ones. The conversation came to an abrupt stop once Kanan got a page from one of her co-workers to get to the station as soon as possible for the briefing.

Kanan didn't realize how late it had gotten as she bid her mom farewell. But not before solidifying their plans by telling her mom that they were going to eat on some fancy restaurant on Jupiter's moon. Umi agreed happily though she wasn't playing on leaving the planet, but she figured it wasn't so bad to let Kanan believe she was willing to leave her home.

Eventually Nozomi re-entered her room after spending her time in the living room watching some of her late hour soap operas. Nozomi had fed Umi and gotten the home ready for the night. Though before leaving, Umi had requested an old cardboard box which was packed away in the attic. Obeying her friends request, Nozomi left once Umi had the box in her lap. Promising to come back tomorrow, so they could watch the live video link of her daughters mission.

Umi waited a couple of minutes before unboxed the old photo albums. A small smile on her lips as she dusted the booklets before opening them to the first pages of black and white photos.

Honoka was the first to greet her. The ginger was sporting her middle school uniform.

Umi remembered her parents buying her a polaroid for her admission to the school and how excited she was to use it. Honoka was the first thing she took a picture of as she captured the ginger waving at her while an old friend named Kotori clung to her side. Those were simple times where she thought life was filled with unlimited possibilities. She laughed to herself as she flipped through the pages. Life had been filled with surprises for the two.

They had gone through life together. From birth to their first year in high school. To getting disowned by their parents and having to work to sustain their new family. Marriage came immediately before Kanan had arrived in their lives. The pictures before being selective because camera film was expensive. But the closer she got to the ginger's present, the harder it was for Umi to continue.

They had promised to spend their whole lives together. She knew they might have died on different days, but Umi didn't even imagine that it would be so soon. She didn't even get to see her die.

Finally snapping, Umi weeped, "Idiot," she had arrived to the first picture taken after the tragedy. A photo of Kanan and her standing together in front of the elementary school. Kanan had just gotten promoted and Umi wanted to preserve the moment, "Honoka you stupid idiot…" her tears stained the plastic protection.

…

"Captain Sonoda is your ship prepared?" the communicator rang.

"Ship conditions are all green," Riko Sakurauchi, the ships analysis, spoke as she touched the other sensors. Checking that the ship was updated with all current upgrades and inner programing.

"Engine is purring and ready to sail off!" The ships head engineer, You Watanabe, spoke through the speaker. Her eyes keeping track on the heat and pressure levels with a few other crew members.

"And our course is clear," Chika Takami, ship navigator, checked the terrain and pathways making sure that the trail they were going to follow was perfect ship conditions.

Kanan acknowledge her crews words, "We're ready," and the moon's port opened up. News vans were around the station as they captured footage and photos of the departure. Some reports getting ready to travel alongside the crew to capture the departer. It didn't take long before other ships vanished from sight and the spaceship traveled alone without any trouble.

The young captain sat in her chair, checking the ships unchanging levels as if possessed with the ships performance. No one spoke as they were too afraid to intrude in the captains personal affairs. The bridge got so overwhelming with pressure that Chika had made up some excuse to leave for a bit. Riko, who couldn't figure out how to escape, was just holding her breath as they followed a two hour course to the wreckage.

Suddenly a video call erupted the captains zombie like behavior, "Riko open the call," and the other obeyed all too willingly.

"Kanan Kousaka Sonoda!" the caller was furious, "I thought we agreed we would do this together," the black haired woman was dressed in her own captain attire.

"D-Dia!" Kanan's fierce demeanor breaking by the others call. Suddenly another call was being sent through. Seeing what the chaos was doing to Kanan, Riko thought the callers were a blessing to the bridge. Riko opened the other call transforming the feed into a group chat, "Riko!" Kanan shrieked in horror as the last childhood friend popped on.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Mari yelled. The blonde woman wore a business suit, her surroundings showing she was inside her private jet vessel, "WE AGREED KANAN!"

"Stop screaming!" Dia shouted back and the two women glared at one another. Kanan looked at the two as she beckoned for Riko to end the call.

Riko nodded in understanding, but did nothing to switch them off. Instead Chika re-entered the room causing the two to push aside their differences and attack the bigger threat, "Kanan what is the meaning of this?" Dia spoke first.

Chika ducked behind the scenes as she made her way sneakily to her station. Kanan tried to explain, but Mari wasn't listening, "We agreed! In fact, if I didn't know any better I would say you left us out of this on purpose!"

"I-" but they weren't letting her talk her way out of it.

"This is just like you," Dia sighed as she shook her head.

"You're doing that thing from last time," Mari couldn't believe Kanan, "When we told you how we felt and you up and ran!" Riko and Chika exchanged raised brows at their captains mess of a love life.

"Enough!" Kanan blushed as her crew looked at her with pity, "I'll call you guys when I return!" and she ran to Riko's station ending the call.

"Kan-," the line was dead. Kanan was breathing hard as if she had just got done running a mile. Her cheeks a bright red at having her personal business exposed to her crew.

"Girl problems, am I right?" Chika finger banged her and Kanan ignored her.

"This doesn't leave the room, ever," Kanan warned as You spoke up.

"Wait what happened up there?" she asked and Chika didn't hesitate to explain.

Kanan slumped her shoulders downwards as she shamefully made her way to her command chair. Riko looked at her with sympathy and regret, "Sorry," she tried, but Kanan's reputation was gone.

The ride to their destination was filled with teasing, a much welcome atmosphere then the doom Kanan had previously allowed. As the hours ran pass them, eventually they had arrived at the coordinates without trouble. Chika had the ship positioned right next to the ruined metal as You readied the antigravity beam. With a team effort, the small vessel was buzzed with the ray keeping it still alongside the ship.

"I'm going to secure it to our base," Chika saluted as she went about her routine. She was normally in charge of retrieving foreign objects in space.

"Wait," Kanan stopped her as she got up from her chair, "I'll secure it."

Chika looked at Riko who nodded, "Alright," the orange girl took a seat, "We'll wait for your orders here."

Kanan was thankful for the privacy as she went to get ready. Her space outfit was much more like a wetsuit as she stripped on her helmet. The suit rang out that it had one hundred percent oxygen levels and that her vitals were in perfect condition. She paused for a minute remember the space suit her own mama had worn, how it looked heavy and bulgy. The rest of the equipment was a blur, but Kanan was just a door away from having it refreshed in her mind.

"Captain," You was already dressed up, "Mind if I help you with the outer hooks," but before Kanan could decline, You added, "So you can secure the inside properly."

"Alright," Kanan acknowledged. She was grateful for the sublimately privacy as they entered the intermediate room. The oxygen was removed and the door to space was opened.

Both women used their rocket boots to move along the empty space void. You had grabbed the free hooks on the side of their vessel to attach to any stable part of the ship, while Kanan took in the fairly medium ship. Time had not change the space vessel. The only difference now was the dents and broken equipment that hung loosely on the poor ship. Windows were missing glass and wires were hanging around freely.

Kanan didn't know what to do until You pointed at the door, "It seems loose," she helped as the silver hair woman tugged at the handle. A large clunk sound emerged from its years of inactivity. Kanan swallowed as she cruised to the now open door, "I'll wait out here, you know securing the hooks," You waved the hook to emphasizes her claim.

Kanan didn't speak as she entered the ship. Her boots clicking down on the metal floor as she took the whole space in. Cramped was the first word that came to her mind as she looked around the narrow pathway. Wires and old censors were covering the whole wall as there were three open corridor doors to follow: up, right, and left. Kanan decided to investigate to her left.

Walking the short distance, Kanan could imagine her mother floating alongside her as she entered the control room. An old headset floated harmlessly were the ship controls were located. Kanan took a few steps forward, her hands grabbing the mic as she remembered how her mama would communicate to ground control. Turning the device on, it remained off from the lack of electricity. Smiling to herself, Kanan placed it back were it should have been stored. Taking a moment to let the room sink in, she turned to leave before hearing a loud screech.

"Sorry," You was outside placing a hook to the window frame.

Kanan continued to the right as she entered a mini garden. The shelves were decorated with pots filled with dry soil. Clip boards were on the wall with hand writing dated back to the day of the incident.

Reading the information to see what her mama would write, Kanan was caught off guard by the names of each pot, "Little Umi still refuses to sprout, but I won't give up on her," Kanan read as she flipped to the next page, "… Kanan Jr is showing abnormal growth. I expect nothing more from a sprout named after my own daughter," she kept her hands on the paper. A sense of loneliness overcame her as she imagined her mama talking to these pots as if they were her family.

Suddenly she was overcome with a realization. Her mama had been in space all alone for six months to complete a science experiment that was later conducted again using AI machinery.

Placing down the clipboard, Kanan felt overcome with dread. An emotion Kanan quick labeled anger. Her instincts were telling her to leave, which was a request she was all too willing to accept, if it wasn't for that small itch in the back of her mind.

Her foot would have been out that door had it not been for her burning question, "Where is she?" She paused. Kanan had searched all, but one place.

A sudden dread bloomed at the pit of her stomach. She had to see it for herself. Kanan had to see her mama for her own self and her mom waiting on Earth. Taking a couple of deep breathes, Kanan slowly gilded upwards. Poking her head through the circular doorway, Kanan accepted it.

...

"Ok," Honoka was trying her best to get her camera to stay. The space ship providing her with little stability as she placed the camera down on an open counter, "Ok…," she said again as the camera focused correctly.

Honoka took a deep breath, her suit's oxygen meter was already warning her that it was on its last quarter. Using the camera's little screen to fix herself in place, she recorded, "Hey. So here we are," she didn't know what she wanted to say. Luckily for her, the camera had more life then her.

"I have a lot I want to say," Honoka tried again, "I wonder if some alien is going to watch this clip," a bit distracted, Honoka returned her wandering mind back, "But if this does get back to Earth then I want whoever is seeing this to please contact my family," Honoka stated the address and her family's name, "Umi, Kanan if your watching this I'm sorry," her eyes began to water, "I'm sorry."

She hung her head, not allowing the video to capture her face, "Mama made a mistake… she made a grave mistake."

Her hand's knuckles hitting the helmet, "I can't ask you two to forgive me. Please, I'm begging you not to forgive me."

Raising her head back up, Honoka was crying, "Umi," her eyes softening at the screen, "My Umi… I should have listened to you. I should have stayed by your side, I should have done everything you told me to do," she pulled her head back in a horrible attempt to compose herself, "I left you all alone."

"You must hate me right now," Honoka shook her head, "I hate myself too."

There was a long pause before she continued, "That's not what I wanted to say," she laughed weakly, "Umi I love you. I love you so much and I'm so grateful for the life you shared with me," she sniffed, "I left you too early, but I know you're going to raise our daughter to be the most amazing woman to ever walk the Earth," she wanted to sound happy, "But if you can't raise her alone… or if you get lonely, I won't blame you for finding someone else."

Honoka painfully smiled, "Hopefully she's someone who actually listens to you," Her hands flung for the camera and the video died. It didn't take long before another clip began to run.

"Sorry about that," Honoka was a bit more composed, "Kanan, my little girl, Mama's very sorry," she held on, "But mama is going somewhere really far away," she tried to sound like it was super exciting, "Mama is going to see the universe first before anyone else can see it!"

She gave a thumbs up, "It's super big," she smiled crookedly. Her lips quivering as she began to sniff back her tears, "Kanan I love you so much. Don't you ever forget that ok? I love you so much that I don't care what you do! You can be whatever you want and I'll love you forever!" she gave her an encouraging cheer, "Just make sure to listen to your mom, she really does know what's best."

A long pause passed the camera as Honoka froze in her fight on pose. Another long minute passed before she sunk back into herself. All the fake glee and resolve disappearing as she looked outside her window, "What am I doing?" Her eyes were red and dry from all the crying she had done.

Looking back to the camera, Honoka switched it off. Her hands being the last thing it captured.

**A/N: **

**The End.**

**Wow! This turned out a lot more heavier then what I was picturing, but I hope you all like it.**

**Thanks for reading and loving this story as much as I did. Honestly I had a lot I wanted to say, but now I just feel content that this story is finished. This story was inspired by a song called Space Oddity by David Bowie in case you guys were curious. **

**Once again thank you all for following, favoring, and reading this story to the very end. Please look forward to any future stories! **


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